Abstract : A project was undertaken to develop a helicopter tail rotor blade from fibre reinforced materials. The manufacture of eighty blades was identified within the constraints of the project. The objectives of the programme were as follow: To evaluate manufacturing techniques for composite materials. To evaluate the small testpiece properties of the constituent materials in the aged and unaged conditions. To evaluate the performance of the tail rotor blade and start a long term natural ageing programme to assess the effect on blade performance. To finalise design detail, assess non-destructive evaluation techniques and determine acceptable standards for the component. The tail rotor blade was manufactured from pre-preg material in the form of unidirectional glass fibre, uni-directional carbon fibre and woven glass fabric (two weave styles) all impregnated with epoxy resin.